1970s Phillies Mascots Retired at Storybook Land in EHT

Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phillis, the mascot siblings for the Philadelphia Phillies back in the 1970s are spending their golden years at Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township.

Here's how the team's old mascots came to live at Storybook Land.

Phil & Phillis Were Part of Phillies 'Home Run Spectacular'

When the Phillies moved to Veterans Stadium in 1971, it was a state-of-the-art venue featuring an astroturf field, luxury super boxes, and a $3 million scoreboard -- the league's most high-tech in its day.

According to sportsmascots.com, the Phillies' future president and part-owner Bill Giles came up with an idea to use the new mascots, Phil and Phillis when the team hit a home run.

"They are part of my home run spectacular. When a Phillie hits a homer, Philadelphia Phil will appear between the boards in center field and hit a baseball. It will travel toward the message board in right-center and strike a Liberty Bell. The bell will glow and its crack will light up. The ball will continue and hit little Philadelphia Phillis in the fanny and she will fall down. As Phillis fell, she would pull a lanyard on a cannon and the cannon would explode.

After the smoke and sound effects, a Colonial American flag would drop down and the dancing waters start to the tune of Stars and Stripes Forever.
This was a major production for the 1970s and a popular one.

 

Philadelphia Phil and Phillis Get Replaced

Other than the home run spectacular, though, Phil and Phillis didn't really move the needle much. Sure, they looked cute in their revolutionary outfits during the country's Bicentennial in 1976, but that was about it.

So they didn't stand a chance when the team unveiled its new mascot in 1978.

The Philly Phanatic was an instant hit and one of the most entertaining and interactive mascots in all of sports.

By 1979, Phil and Phillis were no longer part of the Phillies promotional plan and they were relegated to the storage room in Veteran's Stadium.

The Phillies Held a Yard Sale

In 1980, the Phillies held a spring clearance sale where fans could purchase old leftover shirts, hats, backpacks, posters, license plates, pennants, programs, and...Phil and Phillis.

Egg Harbor Township's Fricano family, the owners of Storybook Land on the Black Horse Pike, stepped up to the plate to purchase the 15-foot statues of Philadelphia Phil and Phillis and they have been in retirement at the park ever since.

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